Wire marker support with m-shaped end



y 1961 R. J. SLAVSKY 2,983,475

WIRE MARKER SUPPORT WITH M-SHAPED END Original Filed March 31, 1958 3 h ets-Sh 1 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. SLAVSKY BY (ILUCLLM 1- W ATTORNEYS y 9, 1961 R. J. SLAVSKY 2,983,475

WIRE MARKER SUPPORT WITH M-SHAPED END Original Filed March 31, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

ROBE RT J. SLAVSKY BY ATT ORNEYS May 9, 1961 R. J. SLAVSKY 7 WIRE MARKER SUPPORT WITH M-SHAPED END Original Filed March 51, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F I III l5 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. SLAVSKY BY d C L F O-W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,983,475 WIRE MARKER SUPPORT WITH M-SHAPED END Robert J. Slavsky, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Shaw &

. Slavsky, Inc., Detroit, Mich.

Original application Mar. 31, 1958, Ser. No. 724,940, new Patent No. 2,923,078, dated Feb. 2, 1960. Divided and this application Jan. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 3,187

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-223) This'application relates to markers, particularly useful in retail establishments, such as super markets, where shelves and cabinets are arranged in aisles up and down which shoppers walk with their shopping carts. The marker hereof is adapted to be mounted on the edge of a shelter on a part of a cabinet, and, particularly where mounted on a shelf, will project into the aisleway a very short distance so as to be visible for indication purposes, with visibility enhanced because the marker is so arranged that the opposite indicating surfaces oat the marker are transverse to the edges of the shelves and thus face the walking shoppers in two directions.

. A particular object of the present invention is to provide a marker which is inexpensive and easy to equip with a variety of indicia thereon and at the same time which is easy to mount on shelves and cabinets, particularly where the latter are, as is conventionally the case, equipped with shelf moldings and cabinet moldings.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a marker which is so constructed that itcannot possibly injure anyperson who might accidently bump against the marker which projects out from the shelf into the aisleway.

A still further object of the present invention is to pro vide a wire support, particularly useful for a marker support, characterized by being made of a long springy Fig. 9'is a small scale view showing the marker per se, with an insert in the form of a large arrow;

Fig. 10 is a view like Fig. 9' but showing-the insert in the form of a small plate bearing a commodity name;

Figs. 11-13, enlarged illustrations of the wire spring grip portion of the marker, show the three successive steps in securing the marker to a shelf molding.

Figs. 14 and 15, views similar to Figs. 11 13, show the same grip portion inserted in awideshelf molding and anarrow shelf molding respectively. 4

Referring to the drawings, itwill be observed that Figs. 1 and 2 and 3 show a marker comprising a panel 10 of about 4" x 5( size formed of two sheets 11 and 12 arranged face to face and secured to each other by suitable means such'as rivets 13 and 14. The sheets 11 may be of a hard smooth finish plastic material such as Celluloid with a substantial amount of rigidity and a limited amount of flexibility, sufficient to provide a slight space between the sheetsdespite-thatthey are fastened toeach other by the rivets, Disposed between the sheets and secured to them by the rivets 14, in a manner disclosed wire body and a supportend in the form ofa M, co'mpressible or expandible digitally, to enable the support end to be fitted into any one of a variety of moldings, with the outside legs of the M shaped end gripping edges of themolding, whether the latter be wide or narrow, and with the legs remaining parallel, all this comin'gabout because the center member of the M end, connecting the legs, has-a bend whose angle varies as the'legs are squeezed together or spread apart digitally, i.e., on manipulation by the fingers of the user of the support.

Further objects of the present invention will readily be understood upon reference to the appended' draw ings showing the'm-arker of the invention in a variety of forms and uses.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of the marker per se;

Fig. 2 is a left end view asif in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. l; p

Fig. 3 is a top'plan view as if inthe direction of the arrow3ofFig. 1; V I H Fig.14is a small scale view showingthe marker in place on a meat cabinet;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the marker in place onashelf;

Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. 1, but showing the marker in place in a typical shelf edge molding;

Fig. 7 is a view as if from the right of Fig. 6 on arrow 7;

Fig. 8 is a view showing the marker in place in a wide multiple stripe molding of the type which is commonly found in meat cabinets, with the marker equipped with inserts in the form of price numerals;

in a prior patent ofSlavsky, 2,142,085 of January 3., 1939, whose disclosure is incorporated into this application by reference, is the sinuously bent end 15 of a springy wire 16 which provides a support forthe marker as a whole. The wire 16, which in the preferred form is about four inches long has its opposite end bent to form a spring grip 17, with several bends as shown best-in Fig. 2, to define parallel portions 18, 19 and a reverse'bend 20. All these bends are in the same plane which is transverse to the plane of the panel 10, and all thesevbends are for the purposes of enabling the wire end 17 to be manually compressed out of its normal shape'shown in Fig. 2, and to return by expansion automatically to suchnormal shape after being compressed with the part 18 moving towards the part 19 during compression.

Eaeh sheet 11, and thus the panel as a whole',-has two, parallel rows of slits 30 and also another group of slits 31 for receiving portions ofv inserts in; the] form: or. :a; variety of indicia. These inserts-may beofthetypeshown in a prior patent of Slavs'ky, 2,140,033 of December 13, 193 8,which-showsaplurality of, numeral'inse'rts, a conjunctive word-insert and a commodity label with. the inserts all having tongues adapted t'o bereceivedinsockets'.

of apanelto-form an interchangeable sign. The'samei expedient is employed here except thatthe'slitsx30sand,

31 which receive the tongues or other portions'ofyinsertsa are arranged in a-unique manner asshow'n, andfaslwill. now be described, particularly withrefetencefio.sonreaof; the other figures-of the'drawings. ;Thus, the. inserts30';

' arranged in two rows asshown in Fig. 8, receive tongues of price numerals 34 and a conjunctive word plate 35. In anotherrinstance, the inserts 31 are used as shownin' Fig. 9 for receiving portions of the edge of.a.lar-ge single insert 36 in'th'eform' of an arrow. 3 1 In still another'instance assho'wn inFig. 10 theslits 30 are used for receivinga single large commodity name plate 37. i 1' 7 Because :both sheets 11 of the: marker panel are equipped alike 'with duplicate slits 30 "and 31, and" be cause'there is'normally 'a slight space between the-two sheets of themarkerpanel, alargedegree of flexibility of interchange of inserts is available. Thus, it is possible to use an arrow 36 on one side of the panel and a commodity name plate 37 on the opposite side; or price numerals 34 and words 35 may be used on oneside with either an arrow 36 or a commodity name plate 37 on the opposite side, etc., all within the skill of the merohandiser and with the interchangeability made available to him by the fact that the marker panel is .of two identical sheets and has on each sheet two separate groups of'identical slits 30 and 31.

' The marker is designed particularly for use with shelves and meat cabinets or the like, and these are normally equipped with moldings. As shown in Slavsky Patent 2,507,937 of May 16,1950, in the case of shelving, the edge molding is generally a single narrow molding whereas .in the caseof meat cabinetsxand the like,..the molding is generallyinthe form of a wide multiple stripe molding having numerous longitudinally and horizontally extending vertically spaced ribs, a pair of which may be utilized for supporting the marker hereof as will now be described.

When the marker is to be used with a molding, whether it be the narrow shelf molding shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and Fig. 12, or the wider cabinet molding shown in Fig. 8, use is made ofthe ribs of the molding. Thus, Fig. 6 shows a shelf 38 having a molding 40 of narrow shelf form with ribs 41 and Fig. 8 shows a cabinet part 43 having wide cabinet molding 44 with ribs 45. In either case, the marker is inserted by finger compression of the springy end 17, as will be described with reference to Figs. 11 and 13.

As'shown in Fig. 11, the spring grip part 19 is inserted behind the lower rib 41 of the molding 40. Thereafter, manual pressure is exerted upon the spring grip portion located between part 18 and return bend 20, as shown by arrow 47 in Fig. 12, to squeeze part 18 below the upper rib 41. Next, the manual pressure along arrow 47 is released and the spring grip will automatically expand, with part 18 slipping behind upper rib 41, as shown in Fig. 13, to automatically interlock the portions 18 and 19 with the molding and mounting the marker in the manner disclosed so that the panel is perpendicular to the molding. Note that the panel is normally perpendicular to the plane of the wire end 17 received in the molding.

This sort of mounting is sturdy and safe in that it prevents accidental removal and dislodging of the marker from the molding. At the same time, it is a simple matter without-the aid of tools to remove the marker from a molding when desired and this is done simply by finger compression of the wire end 17 along arrow 47 (see Fig. 12) sufiicient to release part 18 from the molding and particularly from the groove behind one of its ribs, whereupon the marker as a whole may be removed easily from the molding.

- The spring grip end 17 is adapted to be fitted into all the different size shelf moldings which may be encountered in markets. Thus, in Fig. 14, where a wide molding 48 is shown, the parts 18 and 19 are initially-spread apart a. distance slightly greater than the width of the molding and remain at such spacing clue to bendingbeyond the elastic limit of the-wire. Then, theparts 18 and 19 are inserted and resiliently held in the molding in the manner discussed abovein connection with Figs. 11 to 13.

Conversely where a narrow molding 49 is to be used, as shown in Fig. 15, the parts 18 and 19 are simply squeezed together to fit within the ribs of such molding.

It will be observed that the normal position of use of the marker is such that the panel 10 projects a matter of five inches or so from the molding and from the edge of the shelf or cabinet. which mounts it, and in the case of a shelf mounting, where the space between the shelves forms a walking aisle, the marker projects into the walking aisle only a few inches or so, a position calculated to attract maximum attention to the marker with minimum interference. In the event the marker is accidently bumped, as by a shopper, no harm will occur either to the shopper or to the marker itself because of its construction, and particularly because of the springiness of its mounting. On the other hand, an accidental or even intentional bumping of the marker from time to time will cause the marker to vibrate on its springy mounting and thus increase its power of attracting attention.

It will also be observed that the marker is extremely simple and inexpensive of manufacture comprising simply three parts, two Celluloid or other plastic sheets and a short piece of springy wire, and that simply by riveting or stapling the sheets together and to the sinuously bent end 15 of the wire by the rivets 13 and 14, the assembly of the marker as a whole is completed. I

It will also be observed that if and as desired the position of the plane of the bent ends 17 of the wire support may be varied with respect to the panel for varying the positions of the panel with respect to the molding in which the bent end 17 is inserted for mounting the marker. Such variation may be made by bending the wire at any point thereof either at the time of manufacture or as desired by the user. In the drawings, Fig. 8 shows the panel in one relation to the end 17 whereas Fig. 6 shows the panel in a diiferent relation to the end 17. In all cases, however, the panel will be at right angles to the plane of the end 17, and thus at right angles to the edge of the shelf mounting the marker.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 724,940, filed March 31, 1958, now Patent No. 2,923,078 of February 2, 1960.

Now having described the marker herein disclosed, reference should be had to the claim which follows.

I claim:

A wire support for mounting a marker panel upon a shelf molding having two spaced apart parallel ribs, comprising a long, thin, springy wire having one end formed for connection to the marker panel and its opposite end bent into an M-shape located in a single plane which is transverse to the body of the wire; the two outside legs of the M being parallel, with the center of the M formed as a V-shape connecting to the outside legs and forming an-acute angle single center bend, the M-shape thus having three acute angle bends; the two outside legs being shaped to fit between and in contact with the two ribs; the M-shape being manually compressible or expansible by manually squeezing the outside legs towards and away from each other to overcome the elastic limit of the wire and thus to set the outside legs apart a predetermined distance slightly greater than the distance between the two spaced ribs between which the M-shape is to be fitted, whereby the legs may be squeezed together within the elastic limit of the wire to fit between the ribs and exert spring pressure against the ribs to frictionally fasten the M-shape therebetween, and with the M-shape being so formed that the outside legs will remain substantially parallel to each other and the relative angles between the outside legs and the body of the wire will remain substantially unchanged at all times when the M-shape is compressed or expanded either within or beyond the elastic limit of the wire.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Licht r Sept. 22, 1925 Lersch Sept. 9, 1958 

